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Differences in the high-temperature tolerance of Aphis craccivora (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on cotton and soybean: implications for ecological niche switching among hosts

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Abstract

To forecast the effects of climate change and extreme temperature events on insect population dynamics, the high-temperature tolerance of insects must be taken into account. We compared the life-history characteristics of cowpea aphid (Aphis craccivora Koch) across different temperature regimes on two different host plants, soybean (a preferred host) and cotton (a non-preferred host). Most demographic parameters were superior for the aphid on soybean than on cotton. Temperatures affected aphid development more on cotton than on soybean. The intrinsic rate of increase, reproduction rate, number of progeny per adult, and longevity were significantly higher on soybean than on cotton for the same temperature regime. Temperatures that fluctuated to extreme levels caused a rapid decline in each of these parameters for aphids fed on cotton, but not for those fed on soybean. To our knowledge, this is the first report to note that the high-temperature tolerance of A. craccivora is host-specific (cotton vs. soybean). Our findings may partly explain the observed niche switching of the cowpea aphid (Aphis craccivora) from cotton to soybean at the beginning of summer when the temperature goes up in the Xinjiang cotton-growing zone (Northwest China). This host mediation of high-temperature tolerance in aphids should be taken into account when modeling population dynamics under the influence of global warming, host adaptation, and the risk analysis of alien pest invasions.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the International S&T Cooperation Program of China (2011DFA33170) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31301673).

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    Authors and Affiliations

    1. Key Laboratory of Biogeography and Bioresource in Arid Land, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China

      Lu Zhaozhi & Gao Guizhen

    2. Australia–China Centre for Abiotic and Biotic Stress Management in Agriculture, Horticulture and Forestry, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA, 6150, Australia

      Lu Zhaozhi & Shashi Sharma

    3. Agriculture College, Shihezi University, Shihezi, 832003, China

      Feng Likai

    4. CSIRO Agriculture & Food, Private Bag 5, Wembley, WA, 6913, Australia

      Gao Ling-Ling

    5. INRA (French National Institute for Agricultural Research), Univ. Nice Sophia Antipolis, CNRS, UMR 1355-7254 Institut Sophia Agrobiotech, 06903, Sophia Antipolis, France

      Peng Han

    6. School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

      Myron P. Zalucki

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    1. Lu Zhaozhi
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    Correspondence to Lu Zhaozhi.

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    Feng Likai is a joint first author due to his contribution to this project.

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    Zhaozhi, L., Likai, F., Guizhen, G. et al. Differences in the high-temperature tolerance of Aphis craccivora (Hemiptera: Aphididae) on cotton and soybean: implications for ecological niche switching among hosts. Appl Entomol Zool 52, 9–18 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13355-016-0446-z

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